nblootpfandomcom-20200213-history
Western Conference
The National Baseball League Western Conference, known simply as the Western Conference (WC), is one of two conferences that form the National Baseball League. The Western Conference was created in the inception of the league in 1984. The Western Conference initially began with four teams, the Dallas Impact, Denver Defenders, Los Angeles Storm, and Seattle Jethawks. Beginning in the 1986 season, the Phoenix Inferno and Las Vegas Aces were added as expansion members of the conference. In 2000, the conference changed its format following the addition of two expansion clubs, the Portland Timberjacks and the St. Louis Aviators. Also prior to the 2000 season, the Seattle Jethawks relocated to Minnesota. The eight teams were separated into two divisions, referred to as the Pacific Division (Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Portland), and the Western Division (Dallas, Denver, Minnesota, and St. Louis). In 2010, the Las Vegas Aces were relocated to San Diego and rebranded as the Lightning. In 2015, the Houston Cosmos were added to the Western Division and the San Francisco Seals to the Pacific Division, being the second NBL team in Texas and the third in California, respectively. In 2041, two new clubs, the Seattle Warriors (rebranded as the Jethawks) and the Las Vegas Bloodmutts (rebranded as the Aces) were added to the conference. Both teams were acquired from the American United Baseball League. Following the regular season, the team with the highest record in their respective division is deemed division champions and guaranteed a place in the National Baseball League postseason, along with four wildcard selections from the remaining teams, also based on team record. In the postseason, the two division champions receive an automatic bye, while the four wildcard teams compete in the Western Conference Wildcard Round. Following the Wildcard Round, the two division champions compete against the two winners from the wild card round in the Western Conference Opening Round, with the two winners then proceeding to the Western Conference Championship Series. The winner of the Championship Series will then face the winner of the Eastern Conference Championship Series in the National Baseball League Championship Series, with the winner being crowned as league champions. Of the twelve Western Conference teams, the Denver Defenders have won the most championships with 8, and the most division championships with 31. Four active teams, the Las Vegas Aces, the Phoenix Inferno, the San Francisco Seals, and Seattle Jethawks, have no championships. The active team with the least amount of division championships is the Las Vegas Aces with 0. Current Teams Pacific Division * Los Angeles Storm, founded in 1984 * Phoenix Inferno, founded in 1986 * Portland Timberjacks, founded in 2000 * San Diego Lightning, founded in 1986 as the Las Vegas Aces, relocated in 2010 * San Francisco Seals, founded in 2015 * Seattle Jethawks, founded in 2015 as the Seattle Warriors of the AUBL, became member in 2041 Western Division * Dallas Impact, founded in 1984 * Denver Defenders, founded in 1984 * Houston Cosmos, founded in 2015 * Las Vegas Aces, founded in 2015 as the Las Vegas Bloodmutts of the AUBL, rebranded in 2041 when they became a member of the NBL * Minnesota North Stars, founded in 1984 as Seattle Jethawks, relocated in 2000 as Minnesota Kodiaks, rebranded in 2058 as North Stars * St. Louis Aviators, founded in 2000 List of Western Conference Champions